Takaishi Takeru, Maburaho Remix!
by Mathais
Summary: Misplaced Chosen Children. The thing the girls have dreaded has happened: Kazuki has fallen for someone! And it's a boy! But not any old boy: a displaced Takaishi Takeru!


Story Title: Takaishi Takeru, Maburaho Remix!

Chapter Title: One-Shot

Series Title: Misplaced Chosen Children Universe

Author: Mathais

Rating: PG-13

Category: Digimon, Maburaho

Archive: Fanfiction net

Warnings: Shonen-ai, Slight Yuna Endangerment, Slight OOC-ness

Pairings: Takeru/Kazuki

Summary: The thing the girls have dreaded has happened - Kazuki has fallen for someone! And it's a boy! But not any old boy: a displaced Takaishi Takeru!

Disclaimer: Digimon and Maburaho do not belong to me: they belong to their respective owners.

References: None

Notes: I dislike Yuna. I mean, I really dislike her. I really really really dislike her and it'll show through my writing of her and Kazuki. It won't be bashing, but... Well... She's going to be put through the wringer.

* * *

* * *

A brown-haired boy mumbled in his sleep, kicking over to the right. With a crash, he fell out of his bed, groaning slightly as he came into the waking world. One blue eye opened and was rubbed wearily as a yawn escaped the boy's lips. Brown bangs were brushed away from the face as he looked up...

...to be met with startling pink hair and red eyes.

Barely resisting the urge to jump up and scream, he offered a small smile instead. "Good morning Yuna."

"C'mon now, wash up. It's time for breakfast. It's my duty as your wife to make sure you eat well."

He winced at the unpleasant reminder of his predicament and resisted pointing out that she wasn't his wife. He _so_ didn't want one right now - not when he was still a teen. He hadn't even fallen for anyone yet, but no, they don't understand his feelings, just what _they_ want.

He had a lot of repressed issues.

With another big yawn, the boy headed for the washroom, splashing his face with water. The brown-haired boy stepped into his small shower, allowing the soft rain of water to fall upon him and trace patterns on his naked body. He was lean and not entirely tall, not like the boy who claimed him as a "friend". The best thing to describe him would be "average". Even so, he wasn't bad on the eyes.

As the teen stepped out of the shower and donned his school uniform, a tug on his arm brought him to the table.

"Ikidakimasu!" Yuna smiled. "Eat Kazuki-san!"

Shikimori Kazuki barely restrained a sigh as he ate. He really was grateful for this, but the way Yuna went around saying that she was his spouse when he didn't even agree yet while sleeping in his bed purposely trying to drive him crazy and being jealous whenever he tried to make friends was more than a little annoying.

You know, it was really annoying. He wanted to control his own life, dammit.

Oh yeah, he had a lot of repressed issues.

Kazuki finished the breakfast with a smile on his face. "Thank you Yuna."

The pink-haired girl smiled brightly. "Good. Let's go; we have to head for school."

Kazuki nodded and turned toward the door, deciding to wait for Yuna out there. Once there though, he caught sight of a person he didn't recognize.

The person was a blonde male with messy blonde hair. His breath caught in his throat as he observed sparkling blue eyes and a tall body that just hinted at muscles unseen. The school uniform stretched over him like a second skin, making Kazuki drool slightly. The magic user simply stared, noticing a necklace around him next, a small slab with an engraving of the rising sun. The boy disappeared soon after, however.

"We're going to be late Kazuki-san!" Yuna's voice broke him out of his reverie and he was soon dragged to school.

* * *

"We have a new student today." That was the first thing that came out of the sleepy teacher's mouth that morning. All of the B-Gumi started, staring at the teacher. At that point, Kazuki looked at the door and noticed when it slid open, admitting the new student. He felt his jaw drop slightly when the golden boy he so admired in that instant came in.

At the front, he gave a slight bow. "My name is Takaishi Takeru of the Ishida Line." The familiar name pricked at Kazuki's ears; it made him think that he had heard it before. "My line specializes in light and ice magics, along with the Western pentagram."

"Please sit at the back corner near the window." The boy smiled and did so, the light giving him an unearthly glow. Kazuki's eyes unknowingly trailed the boy, watching just how bright his hair shined in the light and in that instant, his eyes blanked. An avenging archangel stood in the place of the boy before him, eight wings spread out behind him, a glowing yellow sword strapped to his waist. Takeru then turned into a beautiful seraph, hair growing longer into blonde strands such that they literally glowed in the light. The sword disappeared and a new pair of wings grew, making a total of ten. The picture was shattered as Takeru sat, the teen meeting his eyes with a smile.

To the right of him, Yuna inwardly seethed. _That's **MY** Kazuki!_

* * *

Kazuki sat dazed at lunch, his eyes glazed over. Nothing managed to penetrate his daze, nothing at all. Occasionally his face flushed, prompting Yuna to call Akai-sensei over.

After thoroughly checking him out, the doctor merely shook his head and stood. "He's perfectly fine. All he needs is a good shock, not literally of course." He added. Akai-sensei snapped his fingers in front of Kazuki's face, but he didn't move.

"Oh, what's wrong with Kazuki?" A well-endowed blonde teen entered, tossing a strand of hair behind her ear.

"He seems to be daydreaming." Akai-sensei told her.

"Oh." A small devilish smile made its way onto her face. "Well then." She picked up his hand and moved it away from his face. Kuriko then shoved her breasts into his head, the endowments caving around his face.

"Kuriko-san!" Yuna screeched as she gained a fiery red aura, eyes blazing.

Kuriko drew back, a thoughtful look on her face. "Aww, he didn't even flinch."

The door opened and all three turned their heads, Yuna's aura dissipating. The blonde transfer student walked in, his blue eyes curious.

"Takaishi-kun." Akai-sensei greeted, though for some reason a slight unease came over him. There was a tingling across his senses, something that felt completely foreign. He couldn't pinpoint the source though.

"Um, oh yeah! Akai-sensei." Takeru gave a bow. "Nice to meet you. I'm here to see Shikimori-san."

To the surprise of Yuna, Kuriko, and Akai-sensei, Kazuki blinked and turned his head to Takeru. "Ah, yes, Takaishi-san?"

Takeru gave a small smile. "Your friend, um, it was Naka-something, told me that you would be best to have lunch with, for some reason. Would you like to have lunch with me on the roof? I accidentally made too much."

Kazuki hopped up extremely quickly, faster than the girls thought he could. "Sure." Before Yuna could protest, Takeru and Kazuki had left, the latter's cheeks tinged slightly with red.

Kuriko's eyebrows shot up. "My, that was interesting."

Akai-sensei clapped his hands and stood, glasses flashing. "Well, there's nothing for me to do. I'll return to the infirmary." He walked out, nodding once to another girl as he left.

"What's going on?" asked the newest girl, her long blue hair in two ponytails like usual and dressed in her usual green samurai garb.

"New boy managed to break Kazuki out of his daze, Rin." Kuriko gave a shrug.

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Daze?"

Yuna wrung her hands together. "All he did was stare out into space. That's all he did and I couldn't wake him up. Even when Kuriko-san shoved her breasts into his face," she shot Kuriko a small glare, "he didn't respond. All it took was the other boy coming in and Kazuki-san was up and they went to have lunch up on the roof." The pink-haired girl looked mildly distressed.

"Hn." The samurai girl merely raised an eyebrow. "Shikimori may associate as he wishes, as long as those he associates with are... _satisfactory_."

Kuriko suddenly smiled a smile that spoke volumes of deviousness. "Then, let's go see, shall we?"

The three made to move, but the moment they were out the door, B-Gumi's boys surrounded Yuna, all desperate for lunch with her.

"We'll check for you!" Kuriko called as the two left.

"Grr..." Yuna silently fumed.

* * *

Kazuki smiled a goofy little smile at Takeru, the slight flush on his face refusing to give way.

"Go on, eat." An innocent grin was directed his way as Takeru held up his bentou and two pairs of chopsticks.

"Thanks." Kazuki dipped his into the bentou (Takeru's bentou! Kazuki blushed harder) and took a bite. A gloriously wide smile spread over his face and he sighed in pure happiness.

"Was it good?" Takeru's face was anxious and he fidgeted slightly, looking for all the world like an innocent boy.

"It's awesome. Even better than Yuna's!" _I think that might be because of my crush though._ Kazuki gave a full fledged smile that brought and answering one caused his world to light up even brighter.

Kazuki felt like he had died and gone to heaven.

And so the tradition continued.

Takeru, every day, _accidentally_ made too much lunch. He and Kazuki would go up to the roof, regardless of anyone else, and eat together. And each day Kuriko and Rin would watch Takeru's behavior, to make sure he wasn't doing anything devious. Each day Yuna would be held behind by the B-Gumi boys, seeking the lunch that Kazuki didn't accept anymore.

And they continued like that for half a year, never once failing. In the midst of this, Kazuki didn't even use his magic.

His reasoning: for once, he had developed a shred of selfishness, the want to be with Takeru. He wasn't going to give that up. Not ever. That need, that **desire** kept him from wasting the three charges of magic he had left.

Hey, he had to develop some selfishness sometime, right? It wasn't as if he was a saint.

One day, during the routine lunch, something different happened.

"You have rice on your mouth." Kazuki merely blinked at the slightly impish smile that came across Takeru's face. His heart pounded in his chest as Takeru reached out and took the piece right from his mouth, his soft fingers leaving a trail of warmth on the flesh cooled by wind. Kazuki could only watch, enraptured, as those very same fingers slid into the blonde's waiting lips, letting the teen devour the morsel. A flush sprung up on his face as his mind raced with all the possibilities that could arise from that mouth. That slightly pouty, but still utterly kissable mouth.

Only subconsciously did Kazuki know what he was doing. He leaned forward until he covered those lips with his own.

Other than a little squeak of surprise, Takeru showed no signs of rejection.

To Kazuki's crush-tinted mind, the kiss was nothing short of pure heaven. The way his mouth seemed to mesh with the other teen's was simply perfection. So engrossed was he in the kiss that he didn't even mind when the boxed lunch fell out from Takeru's lap as the two deepened the kiss.

Pleasant heat flared across his skin as a slight moan escaped his lips. The two drew away breathlessly, simply staring at each other.

Once his mind caught up with what had just transpired, Kazuki blushed brightly. "Oh God. I'm..."

But he was quieted by Takeru's finger against his mouth. "Shh. I don't regret it." The blonde smiled, making Kazuki blush even harder. "You're cute when you're flustered. I was thinking... I'm free Saturday after school. Want to catch a movie? I hear 'Aurora Max' is pretty good."

Kazuki grinned, though his face still remained red. "Sure!"

"Then it's a date!" Takeru flashed him a huge smile that made Kazuki's knees weak.

This whole time, Kuriko and Rin were watching.

"That's my Kazuki. He can have his way with him after I'm done." The words still sounded slightly hollow to Kuriko's ears though.

Rin, on the other hand, was torn. She had to, of course, get Kazuki's genes for her family. That was a part of her. However, a bigger part consisted of her inner yaoi fangirlness.

_Damn you, yaoi fangirl!_ Rin mentally growled. She wanted to get the genes for her family, she really did. But her obsession with yaoi didn't permit her to break up the Takeru and Kazuki relationship. _I'll just get them if Shikimori breaks up with Takaishi._ She reassured herself. Rin knew it was an empty placation though: she'd probably try to get them back together if they did. Damn her yaoi fangirl status. _That reminds me: the newest chapter of my matchmaker Sakura in a Kakashi/Iruka story is due up today._ Rin thought. After school was over, she knew she had to go work on it. (1)

* * *

Kazuki blushed all the harder as he sat with Takeru in the darkened movie theater. The movie couldn't hold his interest at all, not, at least, when his crush-maybe-more was sitting next to him in a **dark** movie theater that no one could see each other in **except** those they were sitting right next to. And no one was sitting next to them. Or behind them. Or in front of them.

_Gah!_ Kazuki cried plaintively. _No one around and I can't even kiss Takeru-san! This sucks!_

Takeru was actually paying attention to the movie. Not that Kazuki could blame him, it was a good movie. But, as stated before, focusing on something other than Takeru was extremely hard. Like his semi-tanned skin, his golden hair, his mouth... That utterly kissable mouth that tasted of the sunshine and innocence and of bright hope.

He had only one taste of it, but that moment had him addicted.

_I didn't know a kiss could taste of those things._

He hesitantly reached over to the bag of popcorn situated within them and placed his hands inside the buttery goodness. Before he could make off with the treat, Takeru's hand met his in mid-grab. Time seemed to stop as their fingers entwined with each other. Kazuki felt nothing but the soft skin of Takeru's hands and the blood pouring in his ears. Everything was going so fast, but in that moment, that speck of time, his heart told him all he needed to know. Ignoring the sounds of battle and carnage emanating from the speakers deftly hidden around the theater, Kazuki leaned in and took initiative once more, capturing Takeru's lips in another kiss.

There was no hesitation this time on Takeru's part, only a more insistent role. Their mouths seemed to mesh together in a moment of equivalent perfection, passion and teenage hormones driving their actions. The two broke off for air, but soon dove right back in. The sounds faded from Kazuki's ears; all that mattered was Takeru and the flames that fueled their beings. Their lips met again and again, becoming bruised in the process. In the heat of the moment, Kazuki did not care that he was in a public place or that this was his first date: he wanted Takeru and he wanted him **badly**.

It was only when the lights turned on that Kazuki remembered himself. He reacted immediately on instinct.

He blushed.

Takeru clucked softly, his fingers grazing across the heated cheek and then down to the bruised lips. "Let's do it again sometime."

Kazuki only nodded, flushing and even brighter shade of red.

"I guess we're boyfriends now." Takeru flashed his happy smile as they stood, hands still entwined, and left.

Kuriko peeped out from the back row. "I guess..."

"...that settles it." Rin gave a sigh, acting out the role of the calm samurai. "He isn't going to sleep with anyone else now."

"Maa." The blonde teenager stretched, her endowments bouncing with the movement. "I can still try, right?" Her voice was doubtful though. She wanted Kazuki's genes, but now that he was in an honest relationship... It didn't seem right.

_Yeah, take the bait. Join me in my quest to keep Kazuki and Takeru together!_ Rin's fangirl personality snickered evilly, though it didn't show on her calm and serene face. "It is dishonorable to break up an existing relationship unless the relationship is hurting one. The two seem happy though and they do have feelings for each other." She paused slightly. "Let's not tell Miyama-san yet."

Kuriko, though it was not usual for her, barely held back a wince. "I'm not looking forward to that." Unbidden, thoughts flashed through her head on possible outcomes. Most of them included Takeru being blown up by an insane Yuna. Possible retaliations from Kazuki were not promising either. The forefront of those was using one of the three charges of magic he had left to blast Yuna out of existence from pure anger. Considering what he did to two behemoths, Kuriko knew it was entirely possible.

"I'm definitely not looking forward to that."

* * *

Kazuki was in heaven. It'd been three months since they'd first gotten together and it was, for the most part, beyond great. They had their ups and downs, especially concerning Takeru's worries over his few charges of magic left, but those spats ended quickly. Akai-sensei looked at them weirdly occasionally and there was something decidedly _off_ about both Kuriko and Rin, but those were the farthest things from his mind at this point.

He was, after all, walking in the park with Takeru, whom he was now convinced that he was totally head-over-heels in love with. It was a romantic scene right out of the oldest clichés, but it worked. And damn, did it work well.

It was a warm night, so they were dressed lightly. A simple pair of slacks and a loose t-shirt for him and Takeru had one a muscle shirt with pants that went to his knees. They walked hand in hand inside the calm serenity of the area. No one was around and the stars twinkled merrily overhead.

It was perfect.

Kazuki turned toward Takeru, a soft smile on his face. "Good night, right?"

"Un." The golden-haired boy nodded, his eyes shining happily. "Yep. All the better with you beside me."

A slight tinge of red appeared on Kazuki's face as he smiled wider. "Same here."

They stood for a few minutes, enjoying the quiet. Kazuki stepped a little back, falling into Takeru's arms as he moved his head up. Takeru looked down, going in for a kiss.

A kiss that would not come to be.

A loud roar startled the two of them as they jumped apart. Kazuki looked around, his eyes wide. There was a faint shimmering in the air, a distortion that he couldn't place. Time and space seemed to rip apart around him as dizziness threatened to overwhelm him.

"Focus." Takeru commanded sharply as the wavering increased around them. The voice was like a dagger across his senses, bringing him back to now.

"What's going on?" A fear crept up his body, an emotion that he wasn't used to at all.

"I don't know." Takeru used his left arm to curl Kazuki's smaller frame against his chest as he made motions with his right. Kazuki watched as the blonde magic-user moved his hand in the upper-right direction before falling to the lower-right, twisting sharply to the upper-left and then straight across, ending with a stroke to the bottom-left and encasing the whole figure in a circle. He watched as a five-pointed star appeared in mid-air, encased by a circle and glowing a bright yellow.

It was right in time, too, as a blast of flame launched out from one of the distortions, smashing into the circle. Takeru gritted his teeth and the spell flickered, though it held.

"Stay back."

"But..."

"Stay." Takeru's voice brooked no protest as he flicked his hand forward, a javelin of ice launching out of nowhere. A figure leapt out from one of the rips in space, narrowing avoiding the spell.

Kazuki stared at the figure. It was humanoid, though covered in red and black armor. A shock of long yellow hair yellow form the back, falling to the waist, and crimson eyes could only be seen through the red face mask.

Takeru glared harshly. "What do you want?"

"I am Agnimon. Master Apocalymon sent me to rid you once and for all, Takaishi Takeru." The man slammed his fists together, flames lancing out of the gauntlets. "Burning Salamander!" Flame blasts similar to the one that had initially struck first slammed into Takeru's shield, shattering it instantly. The teenager dodged the incoming gouts of fire, dodging over to Kazuki.

Takeru bit his thumb, drawing crimson easily. "Blood of my father, my mother, my homeland. Protect." Kazuki's eyes widened slightly. No one ever spoke their spells anymore, but the spells with incantations were powerful ones, but also drained more charges proportionally. The blood hit the ground and a cylinder of golden light encased Kazuki, the five-pointed star appearing beneath him. Now Kazuki couldn't help anymore, even if he was protected.

"You only have three charges left." The blonde teen hurriedly explained. "You're not wasting them." The blonde ducked some more flame blasts, releasing another javelin of ice in retaliation.

"Fire Darts!" Agnimon once again dodged, this time releasing smaller bolts of flame, though at a rapider rate.

The battle wore on with neither side getting a hit. Takeru was a good fighter, but he couldn't seem to land his attacks on the agile Agnimon, with the reverse being the same.

Kazuki grew concerned as Takeru seemed to be weakening. He had used over fifty spells in the last hour and, even if he was a student at one of the more prestigious magic schools, the effect on his stamina and overall magic toll would be devastating.

"Salamander Break!" Agnimon suddenly enveloped himself in a fire tornado, which started moving rapidly toward Takeru. The teen summoned another pentagram shield, but Agnimon suddenly broke the twister with a flaming foot, slamming into the teenage magic-user and causing him to fly back into a tree. And Kazuki could do nothing but watch. The barrier incasing him was too strong.

All he could do was watch his boyfriend get beat up by some creature named Agnimon with flames and fists and legs.

A deep longing overcame him, followed by a burning desire. The desire to help his boyfriend, to help the one he... loved, darkened his vision as a cold fury overcame common sense. His hair seemed to rise on its own as a light blue aura surrounded him, speaking silently of frozen promises.

A primal scream so unlike him ripped from his throat, almost akin to the one when he saved Kuriko from the behemoths. A blinding flash of blue light smashed into Takeru's barrier, passing through it as if it were paper, before encompassing the air around them. The luminance froze Agnimon into a block of solid ice before it was ground into fine crystals from the pure force of the magic.

The spell faded soon after and the distortions disappeared in nothingness, as if they were never there. The only testament to what had happened was the fact that Kazuki was panting from exertion and Takeru lay bloody against a tree. No sign of Agnimon remained.

* * *

Akai-sensei looked up as someone burst through the door into the infirmary. He was working late tonight, dealing with some files that had to be updated. A sudden storm had kicked up outside as well, the winds harsh enough to rattle his windows. Rain fell harshly with the same strength of hail and his already battered umbrella wouldn't be able to stand up to precipitation.

And there was something else bothering him.

_Takaishi Takeru._

He had, over the past year, gathered as much as he could on the boy. He was an exceptional magic-user and had inherited most of the Takaishi line's more powerful techniques. He was also one of the two children born when the youngest matriarch and future female head of the Takaishi line and the youngest patriarch and future male head of the Ishida line had married before divorcing. There was another child, an Ishida Yamato, but he disappeared years ago.

The Takaishi line had great strengths in the magic of the light and of the flame while the Ishida line held strengths in musical magic as well as ice spells. The Takaishis had also managed to adapt several Western circles into their craft without repercussions, one of the few that were able to do so.

Takeru himself showed aptitude in the light and ice spells as well as the Western circles, but only a good singing voice and barely tolerance for flame. Yamato had been a dead-on artist for musical magic and showed proficiency in ice magic before he disappeared, but had little talent for the other two.

But that didn't explain the reason why he felt, for the lack of a better word, _weird_ around the teen. It was almost apprehension.

At the physical, Takeru had seemed normal. He had an above average count for a student, but not that much higher. An addendum to transfer records had stated that the teen was more conservative than most teens with his magic, though not to the point of hoarding his charges. Still, something seemed to intrigue him and he continued to watch the boy.

And now someone had opened his door. Akai-sensei turned and was about to reply when his mouth seemed to refuse to work.

A drenched, panting Kazuki stood in the door, clutching a bloody Takeru to his chest. The smaller teen was struggling with the other's large body, but for the most part took the rain for himself. There was a panicked look in his eyes though that worried him.

"Akai-sensei!" He gasped.

"Get him onto a bed!" The doctor in him took over as he busied himself gathering medical instruments. Kazuki did as asked.

He immediately started treating his patient, checking vital signs and breathing. "What happened?"

"We were attacked! He got really bad and I just couldn't leave him there. None of his bones are broken; I checked. He might have a concussion though, but I don't know! It started to rain and the hospital was too far away and I couldn't leave him in this state and I already used a charge of my magic to save us so I couldn't use more-"

"Stop." Akai-sensei's voice was sharp as he interjected, though his eyes never left Takeru. "Don't hyperventilate on me. Take deep, calm breaths." Kazuki started to breathe normally as Akai-sensei looked over the bloody boy and began dressing the wounds. Once Takeru had been cleaned off and had his wounds dressed, the doctor stepped back and sighed.

"How is he?" Kazuki's anxiety showed on his face, though it was a touch more than a friend would have for a friend, Akai-sensei noted absently.

"You were right. He has no broken bones, but the wounds would have been infected in the rain. He had multiple bruises and cuts as well as burns. There is a mild concussion, though not enough to cause any permanent brain damage. What were you attacked by?"

Here, the boy hesitated. He glanced to the left and right before sighed, his eyes meeting Akai-sensei's. "It was this flaming man called Agnimon. He said that under the orders of Master Apocalymon, he was going to kill Takeru-san." The teenager looked down once more. "Takeru-san trapped me inside a barrier and went off to battle with him." The eyes returned once more, through worry once again replaced anything else. "Can you check his magic count, Akai-sensei? He used over fifty charges during the battle!"

"Fifty?" Akai-sensei murmured to himself, impressed. Few adults could pull off that many and more or less tried not to. He carefully slipped in a different lens into his glasses and focused on Kazuki first. A bright numeral two appeared over him, confirming his usage of a charge. He then turned to Takeru himself. The number that popped up was surprisingly. Very surprising.

He immediately shuffled through the folder on his desk, pulling out Takeru's last physical. Carefully comparing the numbers, he arrived at a shocking conclusion.

"Sensei?" Kazuki hesitantly asked.

"He's only used a few spells since the last physical. Not the fifty plus he supposedly used." Akai-sensei moved further to speak, but a low groan issued from Takeru, drawing all attention to him.

The teen in bed carefully sat up, wincing from his wounds. He carefully clutched his chest, where a footprint remained. "Where am I?"

"You're in the infirmary." Akai-sensei walked over to him, laying a cool hand on his shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired." He rubbed his arm. "I used too many spells against Agnimon." Blue eyes suddenly widened, turning over to Akai-sensei. "Where's Kazuki-san? Was he hurt? I remember blacking out and-"

"He's here." Akai-sensei interrupted, pointed over to the immobile boy.

"Kazuki!" The name without an honorific came out before Takeru could remember, but it jolted Kazuki into action as he all but ran over to Takeru, a few tears falling down his cheeks.

"Takeru!"

And Akai-sensei stepped back, watching as another one of the mysteries surrounded Takeru and Kazuki vanished, replacing the darkness with a promise of a future.

* * *

Takeru remained in the infirmary for several days, recovering from injuries. Kazuki spent most of his free time with him, much to Yuna's continued protests. Kuriko and Rin also came, bearing well-wishes and vague comments.

Rin, in particular, seemed like she knew something, but wasn't telling. All she did was lay a hand on Kazuki's should and say "We'll take care of Miyama-san. Don't worry."

And Takeru saw that Kazuki had a sudden feeling that she knew about them.

But he was peaceful now. Akai-sensei hadn't talked at all about his magic count, despite how he seemed somewhat anxious. Kazuki was currently sleeping at the dorm, having been forced out with orders to not come back until he had gotten some rest and eaten a decent meal.

While Takeru _did_ love having the attention lavished on him, he did **not** want Kazuki getting sick.

The night was fading quickly as he quickly finished up his homework. Being in the school itself, it was relatively easy for his homework to get transferred to him. It was times like these that he wanted his big brother back, though.

"Yamato." He sighed softly, staring out into the pre-dawn sky. He couldn't sleep at all. He tried, but his body wouldn't relax. He kept remembering his brother, who had disappeared when he was eight. He remembered ice blue eyes that warmed only for him. But lately, the memories were getting weirder. Occasionally, the face grew older, more mature. They reached an age where Yamato hadn't, in a time he had never seen his older brother in.

And the last dream he had felt different. It wasn't of Yamato, but another blonde; this one also had blue eyes, but spoke with American accented English. What he had said was "come back."

He felt a strange need to reply.

Takeru looked out into the sky, in the perfect view for a sunrise. As dawn's rays touched the sky, Takeru's eyes widened. His heart thumped in his chest, each beat answering with a pulse of light from his necklace. When the sun half-way crested the building, he suddenly _knew_. He knew who the boy was, who Agnimon was, and what the things that they had said meant. The rising sun, the symbol of hope, of him, had shown the way.

Takeru knew what he had to do.

When Akai-sensei came to check up on his ten minutes later, all he found was an empty room with the window open.

Takeru flew over to the park, where the Agnimon attack had taken place. He tested them with his powers. The barriers were still weak, even days afterward. It would do.

"Takeru!" The voice called even as Takeru's back stiffened.

"Kazuki!" He replied, his voice just a tad unsteady.

The brown-haired boy immediately latched onto him, his eyes wide. "What are you doing out of bed?"

Good bye scenes were never his strong point, in either of his lives, Takeru reflected. "I'm sorry, Kazuki."

Eyes turned to him in shock. "What?"

"I have to go now. My... My world is calling me." A few tears gathered in Takeru's eyes. "I don't belong here, not with my home world suffering. My family needs me there and I... I can't not go back."

"But..." And Kazuki was pleading with big eyes, his tone small and slightly scared.

Takeru gently ran his hands though the brown spikes before he captured Kazuki's lips in a soft kiss. He then drew back, his eyelids lowering. "I love you, Kazuki. Never forget that." He slipped his necklace, a mere copy of the Crest of Hope, around his boyfriend's neck as Kazuki stared with tearing eyes. "Keep that with you. As long as you have hope, I'll be there. After all, I am an avatar of those powers." Takeru closed his eyes, bringing his hands to his chest.

_Holy Disinfection._

The angry red lines on his body faded as the burns lessened, leaving him more fit to travel.

"But." Kazuki's protest was weak.

"We'll meet each other again. That, I promise. Good bye Kazuki." And Takeru turned toward the rising sun, his heart heavy. A small lance of light struck him, lifting him into the air.

It suddenly hit Kazuki then. _Takeru was leaving._

"Wait!" Kazuki yelled out, rushing forward to grab Takeru's hand. The boy turned, a sad smile on his face. Before he could say anything, Kazuki cried out.

"I love you!"

And the golden-haired boy smiled again, this one soft and without the edge of sadness as the light ripped his anyway once more, drawing him off into the sky and beyond.

Kazuki knelt quietly on the ground, soft tears on his face. That's where Rin and Kuriko found him later, rocking slightly on the dirty ground, clutching Takeru's last gift close to him.

* * *

Takeru stared in the space between worlds, his destination close in his mind. _Come on. The moment you begin to awaken, I'll find you and then we'll get the rest. Then we can finally go home. Come on, Yagami Hikari; the time to act is now!_

* * *

* * *

(1) Kakashi and Iruka are characters in the Naruto animé and manga. They do not belong to me.


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